Method and means for sheeting and elongating dough



Aug. 29, 1944. M CQHEN ErAL METHOD .AND MEANS FOR SHEETING AND ELONGATING DOUGH Filed May 4, 1942 aarci' ZU. Ezoc George Kas@ and Gerald' QvJZr-gefzson.

Patented Aug. 29, 1944 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SHEETING AND ELONGATING DOUGH Morris Cohen, Kansas City, Mo., and Duard W. Enoch, George Hasty, and Gerald A. Jorgenson, Chicago, lll., assignors to Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application May 4, 1942, serial No. 441,580

' 6 claims. (01.107-54) This invention relates to method and means for sheeting and elongating dough and among other objects aims to provide improved expedients for this purpose resulting in enhanced continuity and uniformity of the dough strip.

While it has been generally the .practice in commercial bakeries in large scale production of bread and other bakery products to sheet the dough preparatory to lthe forming of individual pieces of dough to produce baked articles, such sheeting has been as a rule, of individual lumps of dough which are sheeted into relatively short lengths coiled on an axis perpendicular to the direction of movement of the dough conveyor.

It has 'been proposed that the dough might be advantageously sheeted into an elongate and relatively narrow strip, and then this strip coiled on an axis extending more nearly in the .direction of movement of the dough strip conveyor so that the strip of dough'may be continuous from the place Where it is introduced into the sheeting device to 'the place Where it is finally severed into ultimate individual pieces which are ready for baking in that form without further working of the dough. The advantages of this will be apparent in the substantial absence of manual handling of the ldough with a minimum of mechanical treatment thereof effecting marked reduction of cost and enhanced volume of output..

An improved method and means for treating the dough strip after it is formed and as above suggested is described and claimed in co-pending application Serial No. 429,764, filed February 6, 1942, which shows the pre-formed elongate strip of dough received on the conveyor which carries it to the coiling roller, and at which pointl of approach to the coiling roller it is highly desirable that the dough strip should have a substantially uniform Width and thickness.

The present invention deals with the preparation of the strip of dough before it arrives at the stage of treatment shown in the said copending application, and makes possible, by a novel arrangement and operation of a series of rollers and belts, the control and predetermination of the width and thickness of the strip with a minimum of apparatus and steps of procedure. Among other objects, it alms to produce a continuous strip of dough of substantially uniform predetermined width and thickness by gradually sheeting and elongating the dough in easy stages where the individual rollers may rotate at relatively low speeds, thus effecting a cooler operation while at the same time, because of the .not been'materially reduced in diameter.

were to be preliminarily reduced materially in,

continuity of the process and a minimum of mechanical or manual treatment, the output is markedly high. The invention is inclusive of both process and apparatus. It will be explained in connection with and will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying illustrative drawing showing one form of mechanism embodying the herein claimed improvements and novelmethod steps employed in the practice thereof.

In the drawing, which will be understood are somewhat diagrammatic and illustrate the invention broadly Figure l is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a preferred arrangement of rollers and belts as they may be embodied in an improved sheeting and elongating deviceconstructed in accordance with the present invention and facilitating the present improved process; and

Figure 2 is a plan view of expedients shown in Fig. l.

It will be understood that in order to atten a lump of dough without excessive squeezing or punishing of the dough, it is preferable initially to pass the dough through pressure rollers which while` reducing its thickness at the same time increase its width. Iflthe dough is thereafter passed through another pair of pressure rollers, its width will be still further increased and unless one starts with a lump of dough of relatively small diameter the eventual width of the strip so produced might become prohibitive. The alternative is to reduce the width of the dough strip between each pair of pressure rollers so as to permit starting the operation with a lump of dough as it comes out from the dough mixer, for example, and at which time the lump has If it diameter at this stage, it would require either a large amount of manual labor or mechanism and too rapid forming of the dough which it is one aim of the present invention to eliminate.

In their broad aspect, the present improvements contemplate the passing of a lump of dough as it comes straight from the mixer, say, after allowing an interval of time for the usual l fermentation; along a series of belts and through a series of pressure rollers intercalated with the belts, connecting successive lumps of dough t0- gether to effect a continuous and unlimited length of dough, and running the belts and rollers at progressively faster speeds so that as the dough passes successively from a preceding to a succeeding belt or roller, as may be, next in the series of intercalated belts and rollers, it is sheeted and elongated into a strip of unlimited length as may be required, which is successively stretched so as to gradually reduce the strip in width and thickness whereby the desired dimensions are thus imparted to the strip.

In the drawing and referring in detail thereto, the broken line I may illustrate diagrammatically any suitable frame or other support for the expedients herein more particularly dealt with and which will now be speclcally pointed out.

The starting end, at the right-hand side of the drawing, of the illustrative apparatus may comprise a conveyor such as the endless belt II entrained on sunpporting rollers I2 and I3 respectively at opposite ends of the belt II. Adjacent the discharge end of the belt II there is arranged, suitably journalled in the frame It, a pair of pressure rollers I4 and I5, one of which, as here I5, has at each end a flange I6 which laps the other pressure roller I4. The rollers I4 and i5 are desirably disposed so that the roller i is below the discharge end of the belt II and a slight distance in advance of the belt supporting roller I3 less than the radius of the roller I5. The roller I4 is set somewhat above the roller I5 and slightly in advance thereof, the distance between the rollers I4 and vI5 being adjustable as by any suitable mechanism, indi-l roller i8 is the supporting roller I9 for another l endless belt conveyor 20 which latter isinclined upwardly and is supported at its discharge end. by a supporting roller 2I, the elevation of which is as here shown above that of the supporting roller I3 of the first belt I I.

Similarly arranged with respect to the supporting roller 2i of the belt 2li as the pressure rollers I4 and I5 are with respect to the supporting roller I3, are another pair of pressure rollers 22 and 28, the rollerv 23 having end flanges 24 which lap the roller 22, these rollers 22 and 23 being arranged with respect one to the other as are the rollers I4 and I5, and a mechanism for adjusting the distance of the roller 22 from the roller 23 being indicated at 25. In this instance still another pair oi pressure rollers 26 and 21 are shown arranged similarly to but; slightly below and in advance of the pressure rollers 22 and 23, the pressure roller 21 again having end flanges 28 which lap the pressure roller 26 and the distance of the pressure roller 26 being adjustable to and from the pressure roller 21 by mechanism indicated at 28.

Below and slightly in advance of both the pairs of pressure 'rollers 22-23 and 26-21 is another idler Vroller 30 of substantially the same diameter as the idler roller I8. Just below and slightly to the rear oi.' the idler roller 38 is shown a supporting roller 32 for still another conveyor belt 33, the discharge end oi which is entrained on a supporting roller 34, and immediately below the supporting roller 34 is another supporting roller 35 for a iinal discharge conveyor belt 36. 'I'he supporting roller 34 of the belt 33 is desirably of ers to reduce the distance between the axes of the rollers `34 and 35.

-Preferably a line connecting the axes of each pair of pressure rollers makes an angle of 231/2 degrees with the horizontal for enhanced results.

' Reverting now to the starting end of the apparatus, the frame IIJ may carry a plurality of, in this instance three, successively arranged contact rollers 31 just above the ilrst conveyor belt I I.

It will be understood that suitable power driven mechanism which is not a part of the present invention and which need not be here described, is appropriately provided for driving the conveyor belts and pressure rollers herein referred to'so as to cause movement of a strip of dough as indicated by the numeral 38 in the direction of the arrow 39.

The operation of the apparatus just referred to and the method herein described is in one instance .as follows:

At the start of the operation as herein shown, which is at the right-hand end of Figs. 1 and 2, lumps of dough such as 40 may be brought to the present apparatus from the dough mixer and may be manually placed on the first conveyor belt II. As successive such lumps are brought to the apparatus they may have their ends manually kneaded together, as is well known in the bread making art, to form a continuous somewhat elongate initial mass 5I disposed on the conveyor belt I I and ready to be processed as herein described by movement from right to left of the igures oi' the drawing as indicated.

While still on the conveyor belt II and moving with the conveyor belt, the initial somewhat irregular but also slightly elongate dough mass 4I of relatively great thickness travels under the contact rollers 31 which may be vertically adjustable in their bearings in the frame I0, as is well known in the art, and turning by frictional contact with the dough begin a flattening thereof lwhile the dough passes thereunder on the belt II. As the somewhat ilattened and widened dough strip drops off the conveyor belt II, its initial end is just in position to enter the space between the rst pair of pressure rollers i4-I5. In accordance with `the present invention, the peripheral speed of the pressure rollers I4-I5 is desirably faster than the linear speed of the conveyor II.

The dough strip 38 then passes under the idler roller I8 and onto the next conveyor belt 20, where its direction of movement is sharply changed as at 42. In accordance with the present invention, the upper run of the conveyor belt 2l] is arranged to move in the direction of the arrow 39 at a speed greater than the peripheral speed of the pressure rollers I4-I 5 and thus smaller diameter than the other supporting rollu greater than the speed of the dough strip as it emerges from this first pair of pressure rollers. Consequently, just back and forward of the point 42, the dough strip 'is desirably stretched to reduce its width and thickness as indicated at 43 (Fig. 2) from the previous width of the dough strip which was determined by the pressure rolla peripheral speed faster than the linear speed of the belt 20 and the pressure rollers 26-21 faster than the pressure rollers 22-23.

.As indicated at M, the dough stripnext passes around the idler roller 30, where its direction is again somewhat sharply changed to pass onto the upper run of the conveyor belt 33. Here, again,

' this conveyor belt is desirably arranged to run at c speed slightly in excess of the peripheral speeds .nf the pressure rollers 22-23 and 26-27 so as to maintain a tension on the dough and pr event ample, the belt II may have a linear speed of 88 `inches a minute and the Apressure rollers II--IB a peripheral speed. of 264 inches per minute. The thickness of the doughstrip as it emerges from the pressure rollers M--IE may be, say',

of an inch, and its Width, say, 8 to l0 inches. The linear speed of the conveyor belt 20 may be 428 inches per minute, and the dough strip thus materially stretched as it leaves both the belt ii and the idler roller I8 to be received on the conveyor belt 2li, this stretching reducing the width of the strip to say just slightly under 6 inches as at I5 and its thickness to about 1A inch. As the dough strip passes between the pressure rollers 22.-23 it is maintained at a width .of about 6 inches, this being the distance between the flanges 24, its thickness being reduced to about 11% of an inch. Again, as the dough strip Y the conveyor belt 33 may be about 687 inches per minute, while the peripheral speed of the pressure rollers 22--23 is about 527 inches per minute and of the pressure rollers 26-21 is about 615 inches per minute. Y

Since the peripheral speed of the pressure rollers Iii-I5 is three times the linear speed of the belt II considerable stretching of the dough strip occurs between the end of the belt. Il and the pressure rollers I4i5, and again since the linear speed of the conveyor belt is materially faster than the peripheral speed ofthe pressure rollers 24--I5, further stretching occurs as the dough strip 38 passes around the idler roller I8. Thus maximum stretching of the dough occurs in the vicinity of the pressure rollers II-I. From there on, while some stretching advantageously occurs, or at least a successive tensioning of the dough strip, the acceleration is advantageously decreased. Thus the peripheral speed of the pressure rollers 22--23 is only a fraction greater than the liner speed of the belt 20, the peripheral speedof the pressure rollers 26-21 isagain only a fraction greater than the peripheral speed oi the pressure rollers 22-23, and the linear speed of the conveyor belt 33 is only a trifle greater than the peripheral speed of the pressure rollers 26-21, so that the forming and esanism at the left-hand end of the drawing, at which point the dough strip fills the pressure rollers as determined by the respective flanges 24 and 28 already referred to, the distance between the flanges 24 being 6 inches and the distance between the flanges 28 being 8 inches, the final desired width of the strip in the example here given.

Asthe dough strip passes onto the final discharge conveyor belt 86, the speed is at this stage .slightly reduced to say-approximately 480 inches per. minute or about feet per minute, which causes some slight slowing up of the now formed strip, the dimensions of which have been unlformly predetermined, which adapts it to enter the device shown in the above-referred to copendlng application Serial No. 429,764 and to cooperate in making possible a continuous opera-v tion of the latter, at approximately a speed such as that mentioned, and with the final dimensions of width 8 inches and thickness 1/8 inch.

Bread or roll doughs have considerable elasticity and when stretched the strain -on the dough is substantially uniform at all points. It

is desirable that the sheeting and elongating processes be done in gradual easy stages both so that the dough will not break or tear and also so that it will retain the desired shape and dimensions given to it, Furthermore, Yit is advantageous that a settling period Abe given the dough between its periods of flattening and stretching, for any strains set up in the dough to be relaxed before it enters another stage of flattening or stretching. The conveyor belt 20 provides suchv a rest period for the dough and it also eifects a certain amount of both iirst slippage and then friction between the belt and the dough, the belt being advantageously of a not too smooth canvas for this purpose. Again. the upward slope of the belt 20 vprovides height for the next pressure roller stage so that the dough reaches the final belt 36 at a normal working elevation. The idler roller I8, for example, serviceably further maintains f a substantially constant point of contact bemi l tabllshing stage of the strip ls'done by the mechle tween the dough and the belt 20, which would be difiicult if not impossible to maintain if the dough passed directly from the preceding pressure rollers to the stretching belt.

The driving mechanism for the belt II and the pressure rollers I4-I5 is desirably so co-ordinatedv that by a common control the absolute speeds of these devices may be increased ordecreased while maintaining their relative speeds already .referred to. Similarly the driving mechanism for the conveyor belt 28, pressure rollers 22-23, pressure rollers 26-21 and conveyor belt 33 are similarly co-ordinated so that by a common -control their absolute speeds may be increased or decreased whi-le maintaining their relativespeeds as already referred'to. This latter unitary arrangement may also include the discharge belt 36.

In such a continuous process as here described, the dough strip may be produced, i. e., in connected increments passing through the steps and expedlents shown for'a total indenite length, say even as much as .several miles, or sufllclent to take care of an entire days output of a large commercial bakery, with enhanced speed and economy of operation. I

As so constructed and arranged the idler rollers I8 and 30 are onthe inner side of the angle formed by the dough strip passing from the pressure rollers to the next succeeding conveyor.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In means for sheeting and elongating dough to produce a continuous relatively narrow iiatr strip of predetermined width and thickness, the combination, with a pair -of pressure rollers which partially flatten and partially elongate the dough, of a belt conveyor having its receiving end arranged below said pressure rollers and inclined upwardly therefrom, a second pair of pressure rollers arranged slightly below the delivery end of said conveyor belt, a second con- Veyor belt having its receiving end arranged slightly below the second pair of pressure rollers, an idler roller arranged between each of said pairs of pressure rollers and the next succeeding conveyor belt on the inner side of the angle formed by the dough strip passing from the pressure rollers to the yconveyor belt and contacting the dough strip, said -conveyor belts and pressure rollers being arranged to be operated whereby each succeeding belt or pair of pressure rolln ers is run at a somewhat faster speed than the next preceding belt or pair of pressure rollers but pressure rollers and being inclined upwardly i therefrom at an angle approximating a right angie with respect to the direction of the dough strip passing through the pressure rollers, and an idler roller between the pressure rollers and the conveyor on the inner side of the angle formed by the dough strip passing from the pressure rollers to the conveyor and contacting the dough strip, whereby the direction of travel of the dough strip is sharply changed when passing around said idler roller from the pressure rollers to the conveyor, the conveyor being arranged to be operated at a linear speed in excess of the peripheral speed of the pressure rollers.

3. In means for sheeting and elongating dough, the combination of pressure rollers for receiving the dough therebetween partially to ilatten and partially to elongate the dough to' produce a continuousl relatively narrow fiat dough strip, a conveyor receiving'the dough strip from the pressure rollers, said conveyor having lits receiving end arranged below said pressure rollers and being inclined sharply upwardly ltherefrom, an idler roller between the pressure rollers and the conveyor on the inner side of the angle formed by the dough strip passing from the pressure rollers to the conveyor and contacting the dough strip, whereby the direction oi travel of the dough strip is sharply changed when passing around said idler roller from the'pressure rollers to the conveyor, said conveyor being arranged to be operated at a linearspeed in excess of the peripheral speed oi' the pressure rollers, whereby the dough strip is elongated as it' leaves the idler roller and is reduced in width.

4. In means for sheeting and elongating dough, the combination of pressure rollers for receiving the dough therebetween to produce a continuous dough strip, a conveyor receiving the dough strip from the pressure rollers, said conveyor having its receiving end arranged below said pressure rollers and being arranged on an angle to the dough strip emerging from the pressure rollers, an idler roller between the pressure rollers and the conveyor on the inner side of the angle formed by the dough strippassing from the pressure rollers tothe conveyor and contacting the dough strip, whereby the direction o! travel of the dough strip is` sharply changed when passing around said idler roller from the pressure rollers to the conveyor, said conveyor being arranged to be operated at a linear speed in excess of the peripheral speed of thepressure rollers.

5. The method of the character described which comprises the steps of partially sheeting and elongating a lump of dough to form a continuous relatively narrow fiat dough strip on a line extending and with the dough strip moving 'downwardly and somewhat forwardly, moving the dough strip forwardly while changing the direction of movement thereof on an angle approximating aright angle and with the dough strip extending upwardly and forwardly, the

dough strip being caused to move upwardly and.

of on5 an angle approximating a right angle, the y dough strip being caused to move forwardly ata substantially faster rate than its said downward movement, and predetermining said rela tive speeds whereby a continuous dough strip of relatively uniform width and thickness is produced for baking purposes.

MORRIS COHEN.

DUARD W. ENOCH. GEORGE HASTY. v GERALD A, JORGENSON. 

